Well Worth the Worry
by Silverwindghost
Summary: One shot. Just something I did out of boredom in class, concerning Penny's relationship with her uncle.


A/N: Wow. It's been forever since I've published anything to this site.....at least a year, maybe more. I sort of stopped writing fanfics, as an original piece I'm currently working on took main priority. Recently I've been working on a Disney collab fic with my friend Cybs, but it's only for our personal amusement, nothing more....we'd certainly never publish it. Anyway, it's kind of nice to be uploading something new. This is the first I.G fic I've ever written.I used to LOVE the original cartoon as a kid ( Seriously. Most kids my age ran around with plastic Pokeballs and backpacks full of stuffed animals. I ran around yelling " Go go gadget!" 24/7...at least, according to my dad. I don't really remember. ) I forgot about it as I got older, but then recently I saw the Disney movie on TV ( Curse its name and existance. Sorry to anyone who likes that movie, or its sequel, but......I ......ugh. No further comment. ) At any rate, it got me re-interested/obsessed with the show, so I decided to write this. _And_ I was just really bored in class today. ^ ^' It's just a one-shot, exploring Penny's relationship with her uncle. Reviews and critisim are more than welcome, but don't bother flaming me. Won't work. Don't care. Won't respond. Don't waste your time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inspector Gadget, or any of its characters. That honor goes to Dic. Entertainment.

" Uncle Gadget, are you sure you're okay?"

" Okay? Of course I'm okay. Better than okay. I'm in perfect working order." Gadget pushed himself upright, then groaned and fell back against the pillows. He was too exhausted to even hold his head up, and Penny saw the fatigue clearly on his face. For a moment Gadget lay there, struggling for breath, and then he laughed. " That is, I _will_ be."

" .....maybe I should call a doctor."

" Nonsense, I'll be fine." Gadget looked up at her, with that smile of his. Penny loved his smile, and every day she feared that she might see it for the last time. " Really, Penny, I'm fine....just tired. All those M.A.D agents running around.....everywhere I went, there they were! Claw is getting more persistant, I'm afraid."

Penny cast a glance at Brain, who was curled up on the bed at the Inspector's feet. The little dog growled softly, something not unlike a groan of exasperation, and covered his eyes with his ears. It had been a long day.

" C'mon, Penny." A hand extended from her uncle's hat, giving her nose a playful tweak. " You worry too much for someone your age."

_' I just don't want to lose you,'_ Penny thought sadly. She considered, for a moment, saying so aloud, but she could already hear her uncle's response as clear as day, right down to the tone of his voice.

_" Lose me? Why on Earth would you lose me? For Heaven's sake, Penny, I'm the greatest detective Metro City has ever seen! M.A.D doesn't stand even half a chance! You should know that by now!"_

And of course, Penny would have to agree, because no way was she about to tell him the truth. She couldn't, even if she tried. Gadget truly did believe that he was a great inspector, and, as with most things, he was completely clueless to the help of his niece and dog. It was best like that, Penny knew, for if he ever did find out, it was doubtful he would handle it well. And so she said nothing, of that, at least. Sighing, she climbed onto the bed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a gentle hug.

" I love you, Unlce Gadget. That's all."

" I love you too, Penny." Gadget hugged her close and she snuggled against him, burrying her face in the fabric of his coat. The way she had done when she was small----when something frightened or hurt her---she'd always had her uncle to run to. He was her refuge: with him, she felt safe. Which was odd, considering disaster seemed to follow him like a magnetic attraction. He could hardly even cook breakfast without setting something ablaze, and after the number of times he'd blown Quimby up it was a wonder the poor Chief was still breathing at all. The Inspector himself was a walking disaster, yet it seemed to Penny that his flaws were her protection. Like standing behind a tornado, with the chaos before you, protecting you from danger because it wipes it out completely. It was a strange way of looking at it, but the problem for Penny was that, while her 'tornado' protected her, there was nothing to save that storm from the dangers it faced, mainly Claw. That was why she followed Gadget, and that was why she worried. Perhaps her uncle's constant bumbling really could keep him safe---more often than not it seemed to work that way. But it was luck, nothing more, and he needed a shield stronger than that. He needed Penny's aid, and Brain's as well, whether he thought he did or not.

The room had become strangely quiet, and Penny realized that both her uncle and her dog had fallen fast asleep. Through the silence, she could hear the soft, gentle whirring of the many gears and gadgets that moved within her uncle's body. The sound was no more audible than a heartbeat, and to Penny, it was no more strange. She had been with her uncle for as long as she could remember, and had never once given a second thought to the fact that he was an android, or how he'd gotten that way, or what it was like for him. None of that mattered. He had always been there, just the same 12 years ago as he was now.

" Let it stay that way," she whispered, staring at her uncle's peaceful face. He mumbled something in his sleep, about Claw and his agents meeting their demise, and Penny giggled. Every day might be a hazard, and the house might burn down before nightfall, but Penny loved it. She loved her life, she loved Brain, and she loved her secret job, but most of all, she loved Inspector Gadget. He was her uncle through thick and thin, and always, no matter what, she would be there to help him. For he was well worth the worry.


End file.
